scholarly journals Energy, ageing, fidelity and sex: oocyte mitochondrial DNA as a protected genetic template

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1622) ◽  
pp. 20120263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson B. M. de Paula ◽  
Cathy H. Lucas ◽  
Ahmed-Noor A. Agip ◽  
Gema Vizcay-Barrena ◽  
John F. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Free Radicals ◽  
Electron Transport ◽  
Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Atp Synthesis ◽  
Mitochondrial Morphology ◽  
Male Gametes ◽  
Female Germ Line ◽  
Respiratory Electron Transport

Oxidative phosphorylation couples ATP synthesis to respiratory electron transport. In eukaryotes, this coupling occurs in mitochondria, which carry DNA. Respiratory electron transport in the presence of molecular oxygen generates free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are mutagenic. In animals, mutational damage to mitochondrial DNA therefore accumulates within the lifespan of the individual. Fertilization generally requires motility of one gamete, and motility requires ATP. It has been proposed that oxidative phosphorylation is nevertheless absent in the special case of quiescent, template mitochondria, that these remain sequestered in oocytes and female germ lines and that oocyte mitochondrial DNA is thus protected from damage, but evidence to support that view has hitherto been lacking. Here we show that female gametes of Aurelia aurita , the common jellyfish, do not transcribe mitochondrial DNA, lack electron transport, and produce no free radicals. In contrast, male gametes actively transcribe mitochondrial genes for respiratory chain components and produce ROS. Electron microscopy shows that this functional division of labour between sperm and egg is accompanied by contrasting mitochondrial morphology. We suggest that mitochondrial anisogamy underlies division of any animal species into two sexes with complementary roles in sexual reproduction. We predict that quiescent oocyte mitochondria contain DNA as an unexpressed template that avoids mutational accumulation by being transmitted through the female germ line. The active descendants of oocyte mitochondria perform oxidative phosphorylation in somatic cells and in male gametes of each new generation, and the mutations that they accumulated are not inherited. We propose that the avoidance of ROS-dependent mutation is the evolutionary pressure underlying maternal mitochondrial inheritance and the developmental origin of the female germ line.

scholarly journals Germline selection shapes human mitochondrial DNA diversity

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6442) ◽  
pp. eaau6520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Salih Tuna ◽  
Michael J. Keogh ◽  
Katherine R. Smith ◽  
Timothy J. Aitman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Mitochondrial Genome ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Maternal Transmission ◽  
Human Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Genetic Lineages ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Female Germ Line ◽  
Genomic Regions

Approximately 2.4% of the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome exhibits common homoplasmic genetic variation. We analyzed 12,975 whole-genome sequences to show that 45.1% of individuals from 1526 mother–offspring pairs harbor a mixed population of mtDNA (heteroplasmy), but the propensity for maternal transmission differs across the mitochondrial genome. Over one generation, we observed selection both for and against variants in specific genomic regions; known variants were more likely to be transmitted than previously unknown variants. However, new heteroplasmies were more likely to match the nuclear genetic ancestry as opposed to the ancestry of the mitochondrial genome on which the mutations occurred, validating our findings in 40,325 individuals. Thus, human mtDNA at the population level is shaped by selective forces within the female germ line under nuclear genetic control, which ensures consistency between the two independent genetic lineages.

Mitochondrial DNA Replacement in Primate Female Germ Line.

2011 ◽  
Vol 85 (Suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 239-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyo-Sang Lee ◽  
Hong Ma ◽  
Maidina Tuohetahuntila ◽  
Masahito Tachibana ◽  
Michelle Sparman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Female Germ Line

scholarly journals In VivoRegulation of Oxidative Phosphorylation in Cells Harboring a Stop-codon Mutation in Mitochondrial DNA-encoded CytochromecOxidase Subunit I

2001 ◽  
Vol 276 (50) ◽  
pp. 46925-46932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilena D'Aurelio ◽  
Francesco Pallotti ◽  
Antoni Barrientos ◽  
Carl D. Gajewski ◽  
Jennifer Q. Kwong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Stop Codon ◽  
Atp Synthesis ◽  
Stop Codon Mutation ◽  
Oxidase Subunit ◽  
Steady State Levels ◽  
Codon Mutation ◽  
In Cells

The mechanisms that regulate oxidative phosphorylation in mammalian cells are largely unknown. To address this issue, cybrids were generated by fusing osteosarcoma cells devoid of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with platelets from a patient with a stop-codon mutation in cytochromecoxidase subunit I (COX I). The molecular and biochemical characteristics of cybrids harboring varying levels of mutated mitochondrial DNA were studied. We found a direct correlation between the levels of mutated COX I DNA and mutated COX I mRNA, whereas the levels of COX I total mRNA were unchanged. COX I polypeptide synthesis and steady-state levels were inversely proportional to mutation levels. Cytochromecoxidase subunit II was reduced proportionally to COX I, indicating impairment in complex assembly. COX enzymatic activity was inversely proportional to the levels of mutated mtDNA. However, both cell respiration and ATP synthesis were preserved in cells with lower proportions of mutated genomes, with a threshold at ∼40%, and decreased linearly with increasing mutated mtDNA. These results indicate that COX levels in mutated cells were not regulated at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels. Because of a small excess of COX capacity, the levels of expression of COX subunits exerted a relatively tight control on oxidative phosphorylation.

scholarly journals ATP Synthase: Structure, Function and Inhibition

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Neupane ◽  
Sudina Bhuju ◽  
Nita Thapa ◽  
Hitesh Kumar Bhattarai
Keyword(s):  
Electron Transport ◽  
Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Atp Synthase ◽  
Atp Synthesis ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Proton Gradient ◽  
Subunit Structure ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
And Function

AbstractOxidative phosphorylation is carried out by five complexes, which are the sites for electron transport and ATP synthesis. Among those, Complex V (also known as the F1F0 ATP Synthase or ATPase) is responsible for the generation of ATP through phosphorylation of ADP by using electrochemical energy generated by proton gradient across the inner membrane of mitochondria. A multi subunit structure that works like a pump functions along the proton gradient across the membranes which not only results in ATP synthesis and breakdown, but also facilitates electron transport. Since ATP is the major energy currency in all living cells, its synthesis and function have widely been studied over the last few decades uncovering several aspects of ATP synthase. This review intends to summarize the structure, function and inhibition of the ATP synthase.

scholarly journals MUTAGENESIS IN OOCYTES OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. I. SCHEDULED SYNTHESIS OF NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL DNA AND UNSCHEDULED DNA SYNTHESIS

Genetics ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-299
Author(s):  
Mark R Kelley ◽  
William R Lee
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Mutation Induction ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Unscheduled Dna Synthesis ◽  
Female Germ Line

ABSTRACT As a model system for studying mutagenesis, the oocyte of Drosophila melanogaster has exhibited considerable complexity. Very few experiments have been conducted on the effect of exposing oocytes to chemical mutagens, presumably due to their lower mutational response relative to sperm and spermatids. This lower response may be due either to a change in probability of mutation induction per adduct due to a change in the type of DNA repair or to a lower dose of the mutagen to the female germ line. To study molecular dosimetry and DNA repair in the oocyte, the large number of intracellular constituents (mtDNA, RNA, nucleic acid precursors and large quantities of proteins and lipids) must be separated from nuclear DNA. In this paper we present results showing reliable separation of such molecules enabling us to detect scheduled nuclear and mitochondrial DNA synthesis. We also, by understanding the precise timing of such events, can detect unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) as a measure of DNA repair. Furthermore, by comparing the UDS results in a repair competent (Ore-R) vs. a repair deficient (mei-9L1) strain, we have shown the oocyte capable of DNA repair after treatment with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). We conclude that the important determinant of mutation induction in oocytes after treatment with EMS is the time interval between DNA alkylation and DNA synthesis after fertilization, i.e., the interruption of continuous DNA repair.

pitkinD, a Novel Gain-of-Function Enhancer of Position-Effect Variegation, Affects Chromatin Regulation During Oogenesis and Early Embryogenesis in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 1227-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffi Kuhfittig ◽  
János Szabad ◽  
Gunnar Schotta ◽  
Jan Hoffmann ◽  
Endre Máthé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Line ◽  
Position Effect ◽  
Early Embryogenesis ◽  
Position Effect Variegation ◽  
Chromatin Regulation ◽  
Gain Of Function ◽  
Position Effects ◽  
Dominant Female ◽  
Effect Variegation ◽  
Female Germ Line

Abstract The vast majority of the >100 modifier genes of position-effect variegation (PEV) in Drosophila have been identified genetically as haplo-insufficient loci. Here, we describe pitkinDominant (ptnD), a gain-of-function enhancer mutation of PEV. Its exceptionally strong enhancer effect is evident as elevated spreading of heterochromatin-induced gene silencing along euchromatic regions in variegating rearrangements. The ptnD mutation causes ectopic binding of the SU(VAR)3-9 heterochromatin protein at many euchromatic sites and, unlike other modifiers of PEV, it also affects stable position effects. Specifically, it induces silencing of white+ transgenes inserted at a wide variety of euchromatic sites. ptnD is associated with dominant female sterility. +/+ embryos produced by ptnD/+ females mated with wild-type males die at the end of embryogenesis, whereas the ptnD/+ sibling embryos arrest development at cleavage cycle 1-3, due to a combined effect of maternally provided mutant product and an early zygotic lethal effect of ptnD. This is the earliest zygotic effect of a mutation so far reported in Drosophila. Germ-line mosaics show that ptn+ function is required for normal development in the female germ line. These results, together with effects on PEV and white+ transgenes, are consistent with the hypothesis that the ptn gene plays an important role in chromatin regulation during development of the female germ line and in early embryogenesis.

scholarly journals Nanoscopic quantification of sub-mitochondrial morphology, mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics in living cells derived from patients with mitochondrial diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Zou ◽  
Qixin Chen ◽  
Jesse Slone ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
Xiaoting Lou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Phosphorylation ◽  
Optic Atrophy ◽  
Respiratory Function ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Mitochondrial Dynamics ◽  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Mitochondrial Morphology ◽  
Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation

AbstractSLC25A46 mutations have been found to lead to mitochondrial hyper-fusion and reduced mitochondrial respiratory function, which results in optic atrophy, cerebellar atrophy, and other clinical symptoms of mitochondrial disease. However, it is generally believed that mitochondrial fusion is attributable to increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is inconsistent with the decreased OXPHOS of highly-fused mitochondria observed in previous studies. In this paper, we have used the live-cell nanoscope to observe and quantify the structure of mitochondrial cristae, and the behavior of mitochondria and lysosomes in patient-derived SLC25A46 mutant fibroblasts. The results show that the cristae have been markedly damaged in the mutant fibroblasts, but there is no corresponding increase in mitophagy. This study suggests that severely damaged mitochondrial cristae might be the predominant cause of reduced OXPHOS in SLC25A46 mutant fibroblasts. This study demonstrates the utility of nanoscope-based imaging for realizing the sub-mitochondrial morphology, mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics in living cells, which may be particularly valuable for the quick evaluation of pathogenesis of mitochondrial morphological abnormalities.

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